The Hunt For Sanctuary
by FluffyThompson
Summary: This is an original zombie story I came up with and am thinking about redoing and expanding. Please Let me know what you think about it!


Preset: Well, this is a short story that I came up with and was thinking I may expand it if I get a good enough response. If the story does expand then it won't be tied down to this particular set up. All the characters I put into this are strictly original and from my head, if there is any sort of resemblance to other people or places it is mere coincidence. Please, please let me know what you think about the story, but preferably no flames thank you. Now on to the story!

Looking for a _Sanctuary_

"Not Again…." I lean over the guard rails looking out over the devastated city. I thought that perhaps, my friends and I could find a bit of shelter and maybe even another living person once we saw the smoke from the road…. But it was just another completely devastated city infested with _Them_. I am 19-year-old Jacob Daniels, and I am a survivor of what some would call the _Zombie Apocalypse_. Six months ago I was working in a homeless shelter with this cute foreign exchange college freshman from Okinawa, Japan named Leah Qi, but by the end of the day we were already forced to kill these undead bastards and do the only thing left for us to possibly do…. Survive. Leah and I now travel with a rag-tag group of people who call themselves _The Lost Ones_… Honestly, what a stupid name. "Are you alright?" Leah asks me as she leans back against the guard rail with that innocent smile of hers on her face… out of all the things I've had to deal with over the past six months, seeing that smile of hers made it all worthwhile. That long dark hair, how it falls so naturally over her shoulders, that slender build which she thanks her time in the dance club for, those gorgeous blue eyes. There are times I almost thank what loon or whatever started this whole mess just for these little moments. Even though we are both leaning on the guard rail, she still had to stay up on her toes to look me level in the eyes.

"Yeah…" I manage half-heartedly as I turn from the devastation and look around to what is left of my team. Charlie Brown, the wannabe gangster from downtown New York City is, as usual, uncomfortably staring at Miss Sasha Grey, our resident 23-year-old nun/nurse who could either cure any patient with either a strand from her long blonde hair or a kiss from over the counter. I honestly never paid much attention to what the residents of the shelter would say about her, but no matter how much I try to keep from listening I always heard a rumor or two. "What are we gonna do now?" asked little Emily Grey, Sasha's little sister who was only half way through her time at Junior High. She has the same long blonde hair as Sasha, same cute face, and looks like she could have the same voluptuous build come her 20s, some honestly can't understand how she made it this far. The cute little kid may seem helpless, but she has actually taken down more of _Them_ than Sasha has so far. "All we can do is keep moving forward and try to find the _Sanctuary_." Eric declares, walking to the middle of our group. Eric is by far the tallest and oldest of all of us. Curly brown hair, broad shoulders, and roughly towers over the rest of us at 6'7". He was still wearing his college uniform, even though it was covered in tears and blood the emblem of an eagle shone through clearly from the emblem. Eric had taken over the role as leader, seeing as he was the only one who could manage to keep a cool head during this whole mess. I admire him for that, but what else could you expect? He is my big brother after all.

"Come on Squirt," Eric says to me as he ruffles my short brown hair, "If our own little demon starts acting like some little kitten then how the hell are we supposed to survive?" He tosses my shovel to me and gives that same old cocky grin of his. "Relax. I don't plan on running just yet." I say. "Besides, you'd probably be dead already if I wasn't around." I meant that to be a joke, but as I looked down at the upside down shovel in my hands and realize that it was true… for ALL of us. My usually bright green eyes seemed rather dull; my usually kept hair was wild and untamed. My face has random splatters of blood all over, not my blood mind you. I look down to my clothes, a torn blue t-shirt with even more blood on it than my brother's, torn blue jeans that are now more red and black rather than blue, and my usual combat boots. I don't even remember what their old color was; the only thing I could see now was the blood all over them.

My thoughts were interrupted by a stirring from the bushes to our right. I ready my shovel, expecting the worse… And I was right. First you hear the moans, just like from the movies. Moans and wails of pain and loss. Then you smell the stench of rotting flesh and graveyard soil. Finally, you see _Them._ Rotted bodies, splotches of scattered hair, and the occasional dangling limb just barely connected to the rest. "Let's go…" Charlie says as he steadies his shotgun. I look to the others, who have all already prepped some sort of weapon. I stare dumbfounded as I see what Sasha has chosen. "Sasha…" Leah goes and gives her the extra hand gun she had been holding. "I think you should try this instead of a shake-weight…" As Sasha nods her agreement I look back to the small horde approaching. 20…no, maybe 30 in all.

"All-right!" Eric shouts, "Let's break through to the airport and find us a working plane or helicopter! And remember, don't get bitten!" Everyone says their agreements and began towards the horde, but I've already made contact. I lift up my shovel and bring it crashing down, completely crushing the head of one, then I spin around and kick the next in the chest as my shovel follows me finishing the second and crashes through another, then another, and another. This is all I really know now… Destruction… Violence…. Death… Anything as long as I, WE can survive. "AAAAAGGHH!" I hear the shout from behind me and shudder as I think '_who was it? Who just got bitten?'_ I rush back past the 10 that I've already beaten and go crashing past another 2 or 3, killing each in a single blow. I look at the group and see that Leah is doing fine, and the sisters aren't having too much trouble. Charlie is right behind me, taking care of what I haven't gotten to yet. Once we've taken care of those at the bottom of the incline we regroup and rush to where Eric was… and stop. "No…." I barely manage, as I look at my brother, in a pool of blood, with what looked like another 20 dead zombies lying around him. "Squirt… come here…" he barely manages to say between his coughing up blood and moans of pain. I rush over to him, leaving everyone else with terrified and saddening expressions all around. "Hey… *COUGH COUGH* …kiddo…" He manages again. I look over his distraught body and notice that at least two or three large chunks have been taken out of his left arm. "Shut it! Save your breath!" I shout as I take his jacket and use it to try and stop the bleeding, but… it was too late. "Save it, Squirt… *GASP* … you gotta… take care… of them now…" He barely raises his uninjured arm and points to the others, and all I can do is stare. The last time we had another change in leadership, it was from the same thing. He chose a new leader to be Eric, and made him stop the old man from changing by shooting him in the head… And now I would have to do the same thing to my own brother! "….P-Please." He mutters, and then nothing. Without noticing it, I had already pulled the trigger on Eric's gun… this is who I am now. This is what I have become.

"Let's go…" I say as I stand up, turning back to the others. No one says anything. I start walking past them and am stopped by someone grabbing my hand. "Okay…" It takes me a minute to register this through the pain, but then a sudden realization hits me. I look over to Leah, the only one who was trying to comfort me, the only one who still even recognizes me as a human, the only one who would break the silence. A single tear falls down my cheek as I say with much more conviction "Let's go everyone…. To the_Sanctuary!"_ Everyone looks at me, with a bit more life in their eyes now, and starts back down the slope. I realize that Leah is still holding on to my hand, "Thanks…" I manage shyly, "for everything." She leans in and kisses me on my check then says "Anytime!" with that usual cheery attitude of hers. I give her a quick peck on the lips and then had back to the group waiting below, dragging the blushing beauty with me


End file.
